Apparatus for coupling tractors to trailers



w 3 43- B. A. MosLlNG APPARATUS FOR COUPLING TRACTORS TO TRAILERS Filed July l0, 1940 2 SheeJtS--Sheet 2 mm 25, Fdzy iff@ j i u zi i? 2f? J l A, 1 26h/:g i N (o B, 19, /VosL/NG INVENTOR.

` wherein a gooseneck I tractor is preliminarily coupled to a. tongue or Patented Aug. 3, 1,943

UNITED STATES PAT giftgamma ENT- Bernhard A. Mening, Oshkosh. wn. Application July 1o, 1940, semi No. 3443er 22 claims. (cl. eso-43.2)

'My invention relates to apparatus for coupling tractors to trailers and has particular reference to couplings i'or that type of trailer which has a tongue 'or trail to whichV the tractor is connected. A device is particularly adapted to couple a tractor to the trail of a eld gun but is, o! course, applicable to other types of trailers.

With the foregoing in view,v an object of my invention is to provide an improved coupling for a tractor and trailer;

A further Objectis to provide such a coupling wherein the trailer has a tongue or trail to which the tractor is hitched with a minimum of lost time and wherein a preliminary coupling is accomplished merely by backing the tractor into an engaging contact withl portions of said tongue or trail, a nal coupling being thereafter accomplished.

A further object is to provide such a coupling or crane member on the trail of the trailer by backing the tractor to cause l 4substantially horizontal sliding engagement of a portion of said crane member with a cooperative portion of said a secondary between other portions of said crane and tongue.

A further obiect is to provide such a coupling as last `described wherein slight misalignments of tractor and trailer are automatically compensated for during said secondary coupling.

A further Objectis to provide ina tractor novel crane means for coupling the same to a tractor and including means for rigidly attaching said crane means to a trailer while providing a swingable connection between said crane means and said tractor.

A further object is to provide in a crane means tongue or trail and wherein such as that last described, means for connecting said crane to said tractor to prevent swinging movement voi' the crane at certain times.

A further object is to provide-novel combinations of tractor carried coupling means with complementary trailer carried coupling means.

A further object is to provide novel combinations of tractor carried coupling means with complementary trailer carried coupling means or nal coupling is thereafter made said tractor andoperatlve to move said trailer to a position to permitI the engagement of said clamp means.

Other objects and advantages reside in the ticular structure of my coupling, combinanon d arrangement of the several parts thereof in the particular mode of operation, as will he readily apparent to those skilledin the art upon reierence to the attached drawings, together with the following detailed description appended claims. l

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational View partly in sectio of a tractor and trailer and showing my improved coupling;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary' section on the line t-l or Fig. 1 but showing certain parts in a diderent position;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation, with p in vertical section, of a detail;

Fig. 5 is a perspective of a detail; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective of a detail.

Referring specically to the dra i wherein like reference characters have been used throughout to designate like parts, It desites v the frame of any suitable tractor member having A end I5 in the socket i4 mounted on the humped v shown).

a drum Il mounted thereon around which is Any suitable source of power drum may be provided, auch as a connection with thel motor of the tractor (not A socket member i4 is mounted low down in the central portion of the frame it forwardly of the rear wheels it and seated in said socket i4 is the ball end iti oi' an upright member I6. Suitable cap meansila retain the bali for universal movement therein. The upper end of rigidly connected as at ll' to an end it of a gooseneck o'r crane member Hill which includes an upwardly directed humped portion it and a depending free end 20. A sheave tiis suitably portion it oi' the crane 'x4 ,A00 and a downwardly directed aperture 2t is and including coupling means comprising interengaging rigid means carried by both tractor and trailer together with a second rigid means carried by oneof said tractorand trailer and adapted to be engaged by a movable clamp means caried by the other of said tractor or trailer.

A further object is to provide in a combination such as that last described, means carried formed through said bumped portion it rearwardly of the sheave 2 i. The cable il.' passes over the sleave 2l and downwardly through the aperture 22 for a purpose to be described later.

The underside of the humped portion it is provided with oneor more bearings 23 which swingably mount the bight portion of a substantially U-shaped'brace member 24. The free ends 26 of the legs of the member 24 are bent into axial alignment and the member .24 may be retained in an inoperative position along the underside oi".

the crane by suitable clips or the like 25a which are connected to the crane |00 and which detachably engage the free ends 25 of the member 24 When the brace member 24 is put in use, the free ends of the legs are detached from the clips 26u. and the member 24 is swung downwardly to a' substantially vertical position with the free ends 25 thereof seated in rigid socket 4members 21 fixed on an upper rear portion of the tractor frame I0. The member 24 is held in the operative position by swingable clamps 20 which are swung over the free ends 25 and secured to the socket member 21 by any suitable means 29. Obviously, this arrangement could be reversed and the brace 24 could be pivoted to the frame Il instead of to the gooseneck |00.

As is 'apparent from the foregoing, the crane or gooseneck |09 is swingably connected to the tractor frame Il for universal movement in the A. socket I4 when the brace member 24 is in the i inoperative position but this flexible connection becomes rigid as far as lateral swinging movement is concerned when -the brace member 24 is clamped t0 the tractor frame i0 by the clamp and socket 28, 21. The purpose of this arrangement will be apparent later. In the form of embodiment illustrated, the trailer comprises a field gun having a trail, or tongue, 40 comprising'laterally and downwardly converging trail members 4I. Each member 4I has a top nange 40a which mounts a rigid coupling member or keeper 42 on its upper surface. Each keeper 42 includes a base portion 4l which is attached to the flange 40a by suitable means f and a rearwardly directed, upwardly offset coupling portion 45 which overlies the upper surface of the trail, or tongue, ange 40a. in spaced relation thereto. The under surface of the free rear edge of the coupling portion 45 may be beveled as at 46 to facilitate the coupling of the gooseneck |00 thereto.

Further coupling members, comprising sockets 41 are suitably fixed by suitable means on the upper surfaces of the trail ilange 40a rearwardly of the couplings 42, each socket 41 includes a clamp 49 swingably connected thereto and suitable means 50 are provided to rigidly connect the free ends of the clamp 49 to the sockets 41. The trail members 4I are detachably connected together in the region of their free ends by any suitable means (not shown).

The free end 20 of the crane or gooseneck |00 is outwardly iared in both plan and side elevation to provide a dove-tail top 20h and flared sides 20a. 'Ihe sides 20a are spanned by bars 30 and 32 which are rigidly attached thereto and which extend traversely thereof adjacent the rear and front corners respectively thereof. The free ends 3| and 33 of the bars 30 and 32 respectively extend outwardly of the sides 20a and are adapted to be seatedrespectively beneath the coupling portions 45 of the keepers 42 and in the sockets 41 of the clamps 49.

On the inner surfaces of the trail members 4| adjacent the free ends thereof are a pair of plates 53 providing opposed slots 54 which are open at the bottoms and which are closed at the tops. The plates 53 are conventional on many guns and are secured to the trail members 4I in any suitable manner and the two slots 54 are directly opposite each other. Obviously, the plates 53 can be omitted and the slots 54 formed directly in the trail member 4| if desired. The free end of the cable I2 is provided with a bar 52 which is secured thereto in any suitable manner and which may be of a length to seat in the opposed slots 54 of the trail members 4|. Or, as shown, the bar 52 may be seated in the notches 55 which are formed in each trail piece 4| and which are conventional in manyl guns. -A hook 44 on the 4 cable engages 'in eye 55 of the bar l52. Obviously, the hook 44 and bar 52 are but examples of a number o! ways of connectingthe cable to the trail. -I

when the tractor isV 1n use without the trauer. j

the cable lz is reeied in until the rod s2 on the end thereof seats under the humped portion I9 of the gooseneck I00 and raises the same until the brace 24 can be swung downwardly to permit the free ends 25 of the legs thereof toseat'in 'v the sockets 21. The clamps 28 are now swung toposition and the fastening means 29 secured.

The gooseneck |00 cannot now be swung back and forth in a lateral p lane as the tractor moves along. To permit the extension of the cable the gooseneck and underside thereof is provided with a slot 5I which may be extended a short distance as at 5Ia intothe floor of the flared end of the gooseneck.

In operation, the brace 24 of the gooseneck |00 is placed in the inoperative position, thereby permitting the free lateral swinging of the gooseneck andthe cable I2 is slacked to permit the rearmost edge of the gooseneck to drop down to a position close to the ground. The tractor is then backed up to the trail, or tongue, of the gun until the free ends 3| of the bar 30 slide under the overhanging portion 45 of the keepers 42. Thecable I2 is now slacked again and the bar 52 on the free end of the cable is seated in theslots A54 or 55. The cable drum II is now rotated to hoist the trail into the full line position of Fig. 1. This movement automatically swings the trail the amount necessary to align the gooseneck and the trail properly and seat thefree ends 33 of the second bar 32 in the sockets 41 of the trail. 'I'he clamps 49 are now swung into place and the fastening means 50 secured. The coupling is'now complete. It is to be noted that the cable I2 prevents sagging of the gooseneck and the trail while the universal joint I4, I5 permits swinging movement of the tractor and gun for turns. At the same time the gooseneck and trail are rigidly connected together. To disconnect the coupling, the 'above procedure is reversed.

The foregoing manner of achieving the coupling is equally applicable to any form of trailer which has a forwardly extending tongue and is not, of course, limited to field guns. However, when used with eld guns, it has an additional important feature. In most field guns the trail members 4I are hinged at the gun end so that they may be swung laterally from the rearwardly converging position shown to a rearwardly dlverging position which is the firing position. In

large caliber guns it requires considerable eiort to bring the trail members together when the gun is to be moved. However, with my device the hook 44, cable I2 and drum II can be used to swing the traii pieces together without undue eiort or loss of time. To do this, the hook is simply hooked on to one trail member 4| at any convenient point and the cable is reeled in, the other trail member is then treated likewise and both trail members are thereby brought together quickly.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that I have be 'adapted-m little cha thereby Permitting the latter to use with-my socsenecks with but nge'eiid et slight f the coupling 18. one

ana-detached f I claim: l. A. cmiplin g adapted for connecting a tractor and a trailer,

comprising a goosenecl:l universally tractor and a free end gooseneck.

2. A coupling adapted for connecting a tracr and a t '.Bxpense. AAt the same d gooseneck, ancff connected to s extending means.:

7. A coupling adapted for co and trailer,

10. The stru of neck,

aid tractor and rearwardly thereo cture said bars being on means on the free sockets in the inn complementary c engaging said co 75 and means Carr having a free end f.

substantially of claim 9, and

' extending rearwardly of said tractor, coupling end of said goosenecl; opposed er sides of said trail members,

oupling means on said trail for upling means on sai d gooseneck, d by said exible means and means comprising transversely movement on said tractor, complementary rigid` coupling means on said trail and member. and said coupling means being interengageable and being so constructed and arranged as to be automatically guided into interengagementby backing said tractor over said trail to bring said coupling member into engagement therewith below the coupling means thereon, said coupling'member being adapted to slide up saidy trail upon continued backing of said tractor to cause said coupling means to interengase.

15. The structure of claim 14, said'coupllng aligned rearward- 1y directed keepers on said trail and a transverse bar carried by said member and engageable in sald keepers, and means for maintaining said bar in said keepers.

-16. The structure locking said gooseneckagainst swinging movement comprising a brace member movable from an inoperative position to an operative position, and means for coupling said gooseneck and tractor together through said brace member when said brace member is in the operative position.

1'?. The structure of claim 3, said means for locking said gooseneck against swinging movement comprising a brace member, means swingably connecting saidmember to said gooseneck for movement into and out of an operative position, and means on said tractor for coupling said brace member thereto when .the same is in its operative position.

18. The structure of claim 3, said means Aior locking said gooseneck against swinging moveoi claim 3, said means for pling means being engageable operative position andmeans on said tractor for p coupling said brace member thereto when said brace member is in the operative position.

19. A coupling adapted for connecting a tractor and a. trailer, comprising afgooseneck universally tractor and having a free endA connected to said extending rearwardly thereof, complementary coupling means on said trailer and on the free end` of said gooseneck, said complementary coufor rigidly connecting said trailer w said gooseneck, said tractor having rear wheels, saidmeans connecting said gooseneclc to said tractor comprising a ball on the tractor end of said gooseneck, and a socket carried by said tractor and receiving said ball,

said socket being positioned forwardly of said.

rear wheels and below the axis oi rotation thereof.

-20. A coupling adapted for vconnecting a tractor and a trailer, said tractor having rear wheels, agooseneck, a universal joint connecting one end oi said gooseneck to said tractor forwardly of said rear wheels and below the axis-oi' rotation thereof, and'readiiy detachable complementary coupling means on the free end of said gooscneck and said trailer for rigidly connecting said gooseneck to said trailer.

21. 1n' a coupling adapted for connecting a tractor-.and a trailer, said tractor having rear wheels, a gooseneck, a universal joint connecting one end ofgsaid gooseneck to said tractor Iorwardly of said rear wheels, meanson the free end of said gooseneck for detachably connecting the same to a trailer, and means carried by. said tractor ior raising and lowering said gooseneck to position and maintain the same at. a predetermined height.

22. A coupling adapted for connecting a tractor and trailer, comprising a gooseneck member uniment comprising a brace member, means swingably connecting said member to said gooseneck for movement into and out of an operative position, means on said gooseneck engageable with said brace member to lock'the same versally connected'to said tractor and having a free end extending rearwardly thereof, said trailer having a vertically swingable and axially extending tongue member, at least one swingable clamp on one of said members, at least one transverse bar on the other of said members-and adapted to be engaged by said clamp, ilexible means for raising and lowering said gooseneck member and including means adapted to engagev said tongue member to maintain the same at a predetermined v ausm. 1 l BERNHARD A. MOSLING. 

